When you can run like John Franklin, it seems like you’ll always get a chance.
A backup quarterback at Florida State (2013-14), East Mississippi Community College (2015) and Auburn (2016) and a wide receiver at Florida Atlantic last season, Franklin parlayed a tryout at the Bears’ rookie minicamp into a spot on the offseason roster as a defensive back. It’s a position he acknowledges he knows little about. Very little.
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“Nothing actually,” said Franklin, who was featured in the Netflix show “Last Chance U” while at East Mississippi. “I never played defense until I went to Seattle’s rookie minicamp last week. That was the first time I ever played defense in my life. But it prepared me to come here in minicamp and do extremely well. So I’m thankful that I got the chance to do that before I came here.”
It seems like a long shot to enter the NFL playing a position you’ve never played before, but Franklin’s speed and athleticism at least add some plausible intrigue to this scenario. Franklin was a football/track star in high school in South Florida and ran a leg on Florida State’s ACC championship 4×100-meter relay team as a sophomore in 2014.
Franklin, who caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown and rushed 16 times for 229 yards (14.3 average) and two touchdowns last season, likely will have to make an impact as a kick returner to have a shot at even making the practice squad. As a senior in high school, he returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown in an all-star game. But he doesn’t have extensive experience in the return game, either.
Franklin, however, has one other thing going for him: He learns well. He had a 4.2 grade-point average in high school (and was honored for having more than 500 hours of community service) and graduated from Auburn with a degree in public administration, despite playing football at three colleges in four years.
“The defense I pick up real fast because I know what it looks like as a quarterback. I know what I’m facing. I know how to stop it,” Franklin said. “I’m just learning physically to train my body how to stop it. So mentally, I feel like I’m ahead of somebody that just moved over [to defense]. I learned everything from the eyes of the person looking across the field. That’s one of my biggest advantages, and I’m using that. Once I get comfortable physically, I’ll be able to add that piece to it.”
It’s hard to say where Franklin fits in. But the Bears’ veteran coaching staff figures to only help him.
“It’s definitely tough running forward for most of your life, and now you’re running backwards,” veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “Ed Donatell is great with details and great at coaching guys. I think this is the best spot for him to be because of the coaching.”
Making an impression at a new position is difficult with 90 players on the roster. But Franklin is eager for the challenge. It might be his last chance.
“Last week was my first week playing [defense], and I feel like I’m 10 times better already,” Franklin said. “I can’t be Richard Sherman tomorrow. But I can work [on] one thing, and once I get that perfected, I can move to the next. I know it’s a quick thing, but I’m focused and ready to take advantage of this opportunity.”
